(OVIEDO, Fla.) – The Board of Trustees of Reformed Theological Seminary is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Zachary Cole to the faculty of the Orlando campus. Dr. Cole will serve as Associate Professor of New Testament beginning June 1, 2021.
RTS Orlando President Scott Swain said, “If ministers are to fulfill their calling to make God known through the gospel of Jesus Christ, they must acquire both theological wisdom and practical skill. The latter includes the capacity for rightly handling the Word of God in the languages in which it has been revealed. I am excited about the contribution that Dr. Zachary Cole will make to the work of helping our students acquire the theological wisdom and interpretive skill they need to fulfill their callings for the good of the church to the glory of God.”
Dr. Zachary Cole
Dr. Cole has served as lecturer in biblical studies at Union Theological College in Belfast, Northern Ireland since fall 2016. He has also been a recognized teacher at Queen’s University Belfast since 2016. He has taught a wide range of students: undergraduate and graduate students, Presbyterian candidates for ministry, and religion students from varied or no religious background.
Before moving to Belfast, Dr. Cole taught as a visiting instructor at his alma mater, Palm Beach Atlantic University. Dr. Cole is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. He has served as assistant minister to two congregations. He has also been assistant to the moderator of the General Assembly.
Dr. Cole completed his Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh, studying with Professors Paul Foster and the late Larry Hurtado. His dissertation was published under the title, Numerals in Early Greek New Testament Manuscripts: Text-Critical, Scribal, and Theological Studies (New Testament Tools Studies and Documents 53. Leiden: Brill, 2017). He has published articles in a number of leading journals: Journal of Biblical Literature, New Testament Studies, Archiv für Papyrusforschung und verwandte Gebiete, and the Expository Times. Dr. Cole is also an active member presenting research at the Society of Biblical Literature and Evangelical Theological Society.
At RTS Orlando, all MDiv students are required to study both Hebrew and Greek for several semesters. In addition, biblical studies faculty provide a range of advanced language courses in Hebrew, Aramaic, Akkadian, and Greek. Dr. Cole will join a stellar faculty cohort of biblical studies colleagues, offering advanced, original language courses focused not only on particular books of the Bible but also on the Septuagint text, textual criticism, and early Christian manuscripts.
Dr. Cole said, “God has given me a passion to serve his church by teaching students how to read Scripture carefully and apply it faithfully in today’s world. Considering RTS’ history, mission, and reputation for serious theological education in the Reformed tradition, I cannot think of a better place to do that work.”